When a user equipment (UE) switches from one LTE cell to the next, for example in the case of a handover in wireless communication systems operating in accordance with the 3GPP LTE standard, the cell identifier (Cell ID) and other UE specific parameters associated with communications between the UE and the LTE network change. And given the manner in which physical channels and physical signals are generated are a function of the Cell ID and other UE specific parameters, these channels and signals will change from one cell to the next, for example, in terms of their physical mappings (including the time, frequency and or code resource to employ), scrambling and/or sequences to use. Such channels and signals can include downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) channels, including pilot signals, control channels (e.g. dedicated control channels, common control channels, broadcast channels) and data channels.
Similarly, when switching from one cell to the next when in an idle mode, for example as part of a cell reselection process, the Cell ID associated with communications between the UE and the LTE network changes. One difference from a handover (e.g. in an RRC-CONNECTED mode) is that such UE specific information is not typically used in the case of an idle mode cell reselection.
Contrary to a typical LTE cell serviced by one transmit/receive point with a unique Cell ID, a New Radio (NR) cell for use in an NR system operating in accordance with the 3GPP standards, can include many transmit/receive points using the same NR Cell ID. Given the differences between an NR system and a traditional LTE system, there is a need for improved handover and cell reselection techniques for use in NR systems.